SUMMARY

DESCRIPTION

Historic Haile Homestead (HHH) is a hidden treasure in north central Florida. Nestled in Gainesville, this 6,200 square-foot structure was the heart of the old 1,500 acre Kanapaha plantation.

The home is the second oldest in Alachua County, but the feature that makes HHH particularly special is the “talking walls.” Members of the Haile family and their guests would write on the walls – anything from diary entries to party guest lists to recipes for home remedies. The walls contain more than 12,500 words, with much of this being in the music room and parlor. Ben Haile has the oldest writing in the home, dated in 1859 when he was just seven years old.

The Haile family moved to Gainesville from Camden, South Carolina in 1854 to establish a Sea Island Cotton plantation, which they named Kanapaha. HHH was completed in 1856 with the labor of enslaved black craftsmen.

In the late 1980’s, the Haile family partnered with Alachua Conservation Trust to restore the house. Today, ACT co-owns and manages the property with the Haile family and HHH Inc. in a partnership that maintains the family name on the house and preserves this unique resource as a historic house museum.

HHH Inc. is a separate 501c3 non-profit corporation established to market & raise funds for the house. In addition, they coordinate a docent program to educate visitors about the early history of the family and homestead in this part of Florida.

Address

8500 SW Archer Rd, Gainesville, FL 32608

ACCESS

Historic Haile Homestead is open to the public for tours every Saturday from 10am to 2pm and on Sunday from 12pm to 4pm. Tours are $5/person, children under 12 are free.